Treatment of thread with liquids



Feb. 19, 1946.'

D. c. F. Davos TREATMENT OF `THREAD WITHLIQUIDS Filed April 3, 1944 'Patented Feb-19, 1946` UNITED STATES.. PATENT orifice] y 2,395,256 y l TREATIHENT F THREAD WITH` LIQUIDS Desire C. F. Devos, Birdin'gbury, England, assignor to Courtaulds Limited, London, England, a'British company Application April 3, 1944. Serial No. 529,364

In Great Britain May 27, 1943 4 Claims.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for the washing and other wet treatment thread swells-and there is consequently a great l tendency for creases or folds to form at many places within the cakes, such creases or folds generally running diagonally or in zig-zag directions and often extending some distance through the body of the cake. Such creases or folds are `disadvantageous since they cause diiliculties in the subsequent winding of the cake on to bobbins. pirns or cones. v

British specification No. 226,808 describes a method of treating coils vor cakes of articial silk which comprises transferring the cake to a portable carrier adapted to engage the cake at its inner periphery, detachably mounting the carrier upon a spindle, rapidly rotating the spindle and carrier, andsupplying liquid to the cake at its inner periphery while the cake israpidly rotating whereby liquid is caused to permeate the mass and be freely discharged from the outerl periphery thereof by centrifugal action; it is also disclosed thatthe inner face of the cake may be protected by a perforated, reticulated or other suitable The coresin such cases are employed with an external diameter which is somewhat less than the internal diameter of the cake, since if the cakes fitted tightly on the core before treatment, their removal from the core after treatment would be dilcult or impossble without damaging the cake. When carrying out the process of this invention with a plurality of cakes on one holder,

it is preferred that the holder should be in a horizontal position during the treatment with liquid; the invention however is not restricted to such an arrangement since if desired the holder may be placed in a vertical or other position.

The permeable sheath may consist of thin perfol this invention the perforated sheath, since it screen. British specification No. 362,114 describes a perforated resilient holder for the cake which is slightly concave and which may be made of for example hard aluminium alloy. British speciilcation No. 365,810 describes an insert which consists of a flexible strip of permeable deforma#- ble absorbent paper `or cloth. British specication No. 384,706 describes the use of a sleeve of thin permeable material such as cambric. The known types of inserts however have not been effective in preventing the formation of creases or-folds on the inner layer of the cake.

I have now found that 1 can diminish or prevent the formation of these creases or folds hereinafter referred to as creases by inserting in the cake, before treatment with water or other aqueous liquid, a soft flexible and permeable sheath of elastic material, such as rubber, which sheath 05ers substantialresistance to the passage of the liquid and then forcing the liquid at a suitable pressure into the interior Vof the vsheath through which it passes to the cake, thus exercising its washing or other treatment.

The process is. of particular use when severalv offers substantial resistance to the passage of the water or other aqueous liquid, is `forced and maintained against the inside of the cake or cakes and supports them evenly. and as the sheath is also elastic it readily maintains its direct contact with the cakes during any volume change which may occur during the liquid treatment, thus preventing or tending to prevent the formation of creases and giving a cake ci' even permeability. As indicated above, in order to effect the object of the invention it is important that the perforations in the sheath should be of such a size and number that while they allow sumcient liquid to pass through to the cake to effect the desired treatment, they do not greatly reduce the resistance of the.l sheath to the passage of the liquid. In the accompanying drawing Figure i. is a cross-section of an apparatus suitable for treating a number ci cakes, Figure 2 is an outside elevation of the holder with its perforations, Figure 3 is an outside elevation of the rubber sheath showingv the perforations therein and Figure 4 is a cross-section illustrating apparatus suitable for treating a single cake,

Referring to Figure l, the apparatus comprises a clamp 'screw i provided, with e, clamp s which may be tightened as desired by means or the nut 3. The holder 6 surrounds the clamp screw i and is provided with a number ci peroraticns ii (Figure 2);` the holder is fitted by means not The sheath is vmaintained in position by the plate 9 In Figure 4 an assembly ls shown which holds only one cake. The reference numbers refer to like parts to those shown in Figures l, 2 and 3.

What I claim is:

1. A method of treating a cake of artificial thread with liquids which comprises inserting in the cake a soft, exible perforated sheath of elastic material, which sheath oiers substantial resistance to the passage o1' liquid therethrough and supplying a treating liquid at the surfaces of the sheath remote from the cake at such a pressure that said liquid -is forced through' the perforations in the sheath and thence to and through the cake and the sheath is pressed against the cake to prevent the formation of creases in the cake.

2. A method of treating cakes of artiiicial threads with liquids which comprises assembling a. plurality of said cakes on a central holder, providing between the holder and the cakes a soft, flexible perforated sheath of elastic material, which sheath oiTers substantial resistance to the passage of liquid therethrough and supplying a treating liquid at the surfaces of the sheath remote from the cakes at such a pressure that said liquid is forced through the perforations in the tubular perforated holder and a soft permeable sheath of elastic material' such as rubber, surrounding said holder, the size and number of the perforations in. thev said sheath being considerably less than the size and number of the per- --forations in the holder, so that the sheath offers substantial resistance to the passage of liquid supplied thereto under pressure and is pressed against the cake to prevent the formation of creases in the cake.

4. In a method of treating a cake of artificial thread with liquids the steps comprising inserting in the cake a soft flexible perforated sheath of elastic material which oiers substantial resistance to the passage of liquid therethrough and supplying a treating liquid at the surfaces of the sheath remote from the cake at such a pressure that the sheath is held pressed against the cake and said liquid is forced through the perforations in the sheath and thence to and through the cake to prevent the formation of creases in the cake.

DESIRE' c. F. Davos. 

